Combined fuse wrench and light therefor



Oct. 29, 1957 E. 5. W000, JR I COMBINED EUSE WRENCH AND LIGHT THEREFOR Filed May 26, 1955 "III!" United States Patent 2,811,631 COMBINED FUSE WRENCH AND LIGHT THEREFOR Elwood S. Wood, In, Norfolk, Va. Application May 26', 1955, Serial NO. 511,142 2 Claims. ((11.240-646) This invention relates to a casing forming a housing for a light, and means for non-rotatably holding a fuse, so that the fuse may be screwed into a socket while the fuse body is being illuminated, to thereby enable a fuse to be attached to a fuse socket, in the dark.

An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a means for supporting a fuse while illuminating the same;

Another object is to provide a receptacle for storing a plurality of fuses, and for simultaneously supporting, in operative position, a flashlight;

A further object of the invention is to provide a housing forming a receptacle for extra fuses, and a means for operatively positioning a flashlight so as to illuminate one of the fuses as it is applied to a fuse socket;

Yet another object is to provide a fuse wrench having a socket adapted to retain and rotate a fuse plug;

Another object is to provide a utility light construction having a storage space in the handle thereof which is adapted to support a plurality of plugs, with a space for holding a flashlight in operative position to illuminate an additional plug supported outside of said storage space; and,

A further object is the provision of a lighted fuse wrench which is safe, and which is easy to use even in the darkest corners of a residents basement or other location, whereby to eliminate danger to a person who is removing and replacing a burned out fuse with a new fuse.

Other objects will appear hereinafter throughout the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the device of the invention when used to store extra plugs;

Figure 2 is a view of the receptacle shown in Figure 1, showing the storage of several plugs, and a flashlight, and the support of a third plug in operative position;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of the invention; and,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, indicates a hollow, elongated casing having ends 12 and 14. The numeral 16 indicates the hollow, cylindrical casing passageway.

This passageway is adapted to support either a plurality of fuse plugs arranged in end to end engagement, or a portable flashlight with one or more plugs, as shown in Figure 2. These plugs are shown at 18, and they are preferably provided with glass ends 20. The end 14 of the casing has a closure 24 which is held in the casing by a friction fit, but a screw threaded connection may be substituted therefor.

The opposite end of the casing is provided with a socket 26, which latter has a knurled inner cylindrical portion 28 that is located adjacent to the partition 30, which separates the socket 26 from the passageway 16. The opposite end of the partition is provided with a substantially conically shaped portion 32 which terminates at its smaller end at an annular shoulder 22 disposed around the lower end of an aperture 34. The aperture 34 ex- 2 tends outwardly through the partition 30 and opens into the socket 26.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the shoulder 22 is adapted to form the seat for a flashlight 36, which latter is provided with a flashlight bulb 38.

The flashlight 36 is preferably of the dual barrel type such as shown and described in my copending application Ser. No. 511,144, filed concurrently herewith and now Patent No. 2,783,364, granted February 26, 1957. This flashlight structure enables the bulb to be illuminated when the barrels are rotated relative to each other.

Assuming it is desired to replace a burned out fuse plug, the flashlight 36 is turned on and inserted in the position shown in Figure 2, where the upper barrel is seated on the shoulder 22, and where the lower barrel is seated on one of the plugs 18, as shown in Figure 2. The

socket is then caused to engage the plug 18, which is mounted in the fuse box. The casing is then rotated to unscrew the fuse plug from the fuse box. During this time the light is on, and the bulb shines through the aperture 34 to locate the burned out fuse plug, and to properly position the socket 12 on the plug, with the knurled portion 28 engaging the knurled portion of the plug. After the plug has been removed, a fresh plug may be inserted in the socket 26. This may be accomplished by interchanging as seen in Figure 2, the upper plug 18 with the lower plug 18 shown in that figure. The light of the flashlight being still on, and the plug having a glass body insures the accurate positioning of the plug within the empty socket of the fuse box.

The plug is then screwed into the fuse box socket, and the fuse wrench is removed from the plug.

The structure shown in Figures 3 and 4 is the same as that shown in Figures 1 and 2, except that it does not have a conical portion and no provision is made for extra fuse plugs within the modified casing 40, shown in Figures 3 and 4. This casing 40 is provided with ends 42 and 44, and a passageway 46 for the reception of a flashlight.

The numeral 48 indicates a socket similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2. This socket is provided with a knurled, inner, cylindrical surface 50. The lower end 42, as seen in Figure 3, is closed by the plug 52, which bears on one end of the flashlight 54. This light has a bulb 56. The socket is provided with a partition 58, having a central aperture 60, the partition being provided with a shoulder 62 for seating the other end of the flashlight so that the bulb 56 will also be seated within the aperture 60.

, One of the advantages of the present construction, as shown in the several figures, is that a flashlight may be used that can be entirely removed from the interior of the casing, and the provision of the partition between the socket and passageway serves to position the bulb end of the flashlight so that its rays will extend longitudinally of the casing and will illuminate the socket, and the fuse box socket, as well as the fuse plug when it is supported in either the fuse box socket or in the casing socket.

The above description and drawings disclose several embodiments of the invention, and specific language has been employed in describing the several figures. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitations of the scope of the invention are thereby contemplated, and that various alterations and modifications may be made such as would occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

I claim:

1. A combined fuse wrench and light holder comprising an elongated casing having ends, said casing having a hollow substantially cylindrical passageway constructed and adapted to support and house a flashlight and a plurality of fuse plugs arranged end to end, said casing having a closure at one of its ends, and a socket at the Patented Oct. 29, 1957 other of its ends, said socket having a knurled cylindrical interior portion for engagement by the knurled cylindrical portion of a fuse plug and a partition between said socket and said passageway, an aperture in said partition arranged in axial alignment with said socket and said pas-- sageway, means on said partition for supporting one end of a flashlight whereby when said flashlight is mounted in said passageway a beam of light may be directed into said socket, and said means on said partition comprising a circular shoulder around said aperture and a conical portion between said shoulder and the wall of said passageway forming a seat for the bulb end of a flashlight mounted in said passageway, said conical por tion constituting a centering means for said end of said flashlight as the flashlight is positioned in said passageway.

2. A combined fuse wrench and light holder as defined in claim 1, wherein the diameter of said passageway is at least as great as the maximum diameter of said knurled interior portion of said socket so that fuse plugs removed from or to be supplied to fuse sockets may be stored in said passageway.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,207,560 Keeran Dec. 5, 1916 1,253,769 Anderson Ian. 15, 1918 1,455,878 Grinnell May 22, 1923 2,242,536 Montgomery May 20, 1941 2,493,796 Williams Jan. 10, 1950 

